Christian monastery pre-dating Islam unearthed in UAE

On an island off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, officials have unearthed an old Christian monastery that may date back to the years when Islam swept over the Arabian Peninsula.

A unique perspective on the history of early Christianity along the Persian Gulf coast may be gained from the monastery on Siniyah Island, which is a component of the sand dune sheikhdom of Umm al-Quwain.

It is the second such monastery to be discovered in the Emirates, and it dates back as far as 1,400 years, long before the region's vast deserts gave rise to a thriving oil industry that resulted in the creation of a unified nation that is now home to the skyscraper-filled cities of Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

According to experts, the two monasteries were lost to history in the sands of time.

Christians still make up a small percentage in the Middle East today.

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The monastery is located on Siniyah Island, a barrier island protecting the Khor al-Beida marshes in Umm al-Quwain, an emirate 50 kilometres (or miles) northeast of Dubai on the Persian Gulf coast. Like bent fingers, a succession of sandbars extend from the island. The monastery was found by archaeologists on one, to the northeast of the island.

(With inputs from agencies)

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